Apparatus for making receptacles



Sept. 19, 1961 E. DUSKEY ETAL APPARATUS FOR MAKING RECEPTACLES Filed April 5, 1959 INVENTORS xxzg m MUND L. DUSKEY 240 R ATTORN Sept. 19, 1961 E L. DUSKEY EI'AL APPARATUS FOR MAKING RECEPTACLES 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 5, 1959 gy s INVENTOR5. EDMUND L. ous/m S7I4NLV J HALTER BY 4 ATTOR Y Sept. 19, 1961 E. DUSKEY El'AL APPARATUS FOR MAKING RECEPTACLES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 3, 1959 INVENTORS. EDMUND L. DUSKEV STANLEY J HALTER BY g ATTORNE United States Patent 3,000,274 APPARATUS FOR MAKING RECEPTACLES Edmund L. Duskey, Michigan City, and Stanley J. Halter,

La Porte, Ind., assignors to Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corporation, Oakland, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 3, 1959, Ser. No. 803,927 Claims. (Cl. 93-365) This invention relates to the manufacture of containers or receptacles from thin metal foil, such as aluminum foil. More particularly, it is concerned with providing an improved die apparatus for use in manufacturing containers or receptacles from thin metal foil, such as aluminum foil, wherein means ar provided for hemming the rims or peripheral edges of these containers during the formation thereof.

The various advantageous features of the apparatus of the instant invention will be more apparent from a review of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the appended drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the die apparatus of the instant invention and illustrates the position of various elements thereof near the end of the downward stroke of the die apparatus;

FIGURE 2 is another fragmentary vertical sectional view of the die apparatus and illustrates the position of various elements thereof at the end of the downward stroke of the die apparatus;

FIGURES 3 and 4 are enlarged fragmentary sectional views of certain elements of the die apparatus as shown in FIGURES l and 2 and illustrate various positions taken by these elements of the apparatus during the hemming of the peripheral edges of containers having a plurality of sides-and after the bottoming of the die apparatus;

FIGURES 5, 6 and 7 are enlarged fragmentary sectional views of certain of the die elements of the die apparatus shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 when these die elements are modified to form a hemmed edge on a round container and illustrate the various positions taken by these elements during the hemming operation; and

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the hemmed edge and rim portion of a foil container formed by the die apparatus of the instant invention.

It is to be noted that the operation of the instant apparatus is continuous and the drawings are generally illustrative of the various steps which occur during the cyclic movement of the upper or movable part of the die assembly or apparatus, as shown in the drawings, from a position of rest to its position of maximum movement and back again towards a position of rest.

It will also be apparent from the sequence of operation to be herein described that the container or receptacle is generally formed by a stamping process wherein the receptacle is stamped from metal foil, such as aluminum foil, on the order of between .002 to .0059 in thickness into the proper shape and wherein the rim of the receptacle is formed first by stamping the marginal portion of the receptacle to form an angulated rim. Thereafter, the free edge of the angulated rim is hemmed or bent back upon itself to form a hemmed edge.

As will be seen from an inspection of FIGURES 1 and Z, the die apparatus of the instant invention generally comprises upper and lower die assemblies 1 and 1'. Lower die assembly 1' includes stationary die member 'or element 2 suitably affixed to a base member 3. The

base member 3 is mounted in a conventional fashion on a platen or support 4. The lower portion of the die member 2 is surrounded by a concentrically arranged anvil member 5 which is also disposed in opening 6 and in spaced relationship to the base member 3. The anvil member 5 may be advantageously actuated at a suitable time by conventional pneumatically operated lift means or pins 7. The lower portion of the anvil member is provided with a shoulder or stop element 8 which is adapted to engage the lower stepped portion or stop element 9 of the stationary die element 2 so as to limit the upward stroke of the anvil member 5 when it is moved upwardly by lift means 7 to disengage and remove the completely formed container 26 from the die element 2.

the above, therefore, that the anvil member or element 5 is slidably disposed with respect to the stationary die member or element 2. Surrounding the anvil. element 5 and in slidable relation with respect thereto is a draw ring-like member or element 14. The member 14 is also movably mounted within the opening 6 intermediate anvil member 5 and the outer conventional retaining element 17 of the lower die assembly 1. Draw ring-like member 14 is provided with a shoulder or stop element 18 at the lower inner portion thereof which acts upon its engagement with shoulder element 19 on anvil member 5 to limit the upward movement of draw ring-like member 14 in a manner to be more fully described hereinafter.

The upper portion of draw ring-like member 14, as viewed in FIGURES 1-4 of the drawings, is further provided with a downwardly inclined and tapered surface 20 disposed in opposed relationship to the vertical wall or surface 12. Surface 20 cooperates with the opposed surfaces 11 and 12 of the anvil element 5 in a manner to be more fully disclosed hereinafter for hemming the edge of the container rim. The top of the draw ring-like member has a stepped surface 22. In the case of the draw ring-like member 14 disclosed in FIGURES 5-7, this member is not only provided with an inclined surface 20', which has a difierent angle of inclination from that of the tapered surface 20 of the draw ring-like member of FIGURES 1-4, but it is also provided with stepped surfaces 22' and 23. Stepped surface 23 may also be somewhat tapered in an inwardly direction if desired and is connected to inclined surface 20' by vertical wall or surface 21'.

As indicated particularly in FIGURES l and 2, the draw ring-like member 14 is vertically movable and is supported in a manner conventional in the art at its uppermost position by a series of pneumatic plungers 45 which are similar to plungers 7 and which form a suitable air cushion such that, upon increased pressure by the upper hemming punch 35, the draw ring-like member 14 may be moved downwardly against the actions of plungers 45 and upon removal of the downward pressure will be caused to move upwardly to its initial starting position until stop 18 contacts stop 19 on anvil member 5. A similar action takes place with respect to anvil member 5 as a result of the pressure exerted thereon by draw punch 27.

The upper die assembly 1 of the instant invention which cooperates with the lower die assembly 1' of the apparatus as it moves downwardly to form the receptacle 26 disclosed in the drawings comprises a draw punch 27 to which is movably mounted, in a manner conventional in the art, die member or element 28. Draw punch 27 is moved by suitable cams or similar acting means (not shown) with respect to the lower die assembly 1. Die member 28 is vertically movable within specific limits in the draw punch and die holder 27 by means of springs 29 mounted within suitable pockets or recesses 31 and 30 3 in movable die member 28 and punch 27. The outer wall of draw punch 27 has a downwardly projecting portion 33, the inner surface 34 of which corresponds to the outer configuration of the die element 2. The bottom surface 34 of portion 33'is in registry with 'andisladapt'ed 'to mate with the surface 10 of the anvil member during the bottoming of the upper die assembly I. a

Surrounding the draw punch 27 is a collar or hemming punch 35. This hemming punch is disposed in. vertical vided with a planar surface 40.

The operation of the die apparatus-will now be described, it being understood'that the various figures of the drawings disclose onlyintermediate and final steps in the continuous forming operation'since it is in this latter part of the operation that the improved die elements of the instant apparatus perform their particular functions. Bearing this in mind therefore, it will be understood that the apparatus as shown in FIGURE 1 discloses an intermediate step in the forming process with the upper die assembly 1 being almost bottomed on the lower die assembly 1. At this time also, a blank of thin aluminum foil will have been disposed upon the stationary die element 2 in such a fashion that the vertically movable and cooperating die element 28 will have engaged what constitutes the bottom 50 of the container 26. .At the same time the downwardly projecting. portion 33 of the punch holder wall will have operated to fold another portion of the blank about the side wall or Walls of the'stationary die element 2, thereby forming the receptacle sidewall 51 or walls 51, depending on what type of 'receptacle is being fabricated. Finally, as indicated in FIGURE 2,

"when the upper die assembly 1 bottoms on lower die assembly 1, the surface 34 of the draw punch 27 will have engaged the lower or rimportion of the foil blank and acted in conjunction with the surfaces 10, 1 1 and 12 of anvil element 5 and surfaces 37 and 38 of hemming punch 35 to produce a roughly S-shaped angulated rim 52 defined by a horizontal wall 54 and a vertically disposed wall 55 and another horizontalwall 56. It is the wall 56 which is to become the hemmed edgeor lip of the con tainer. As indicated in FIGURE 2, hemming punch 35 is also so constructed and so actuated that at the bottoming of the upper die assembly 1 the lower stepped surface portion thereofwill move or slide past the surface 34 of punch 27 thereby forcing draw ring-like member 14 downwardly. against the action of plungers 45 until tapered surface 20 of member 14 is disposed slightly blow the level of stepped surface 11 on anvil member '5.

It will be further noted'that as the hemming punch 35 is bottomed on the lower die 'assembly'l', the wall 56 of the container rim is pressed at .the point 57 against the surface or shoulder 11 of the anvil member 5 bythe surface '37 of the hemming punch 35. This results in an advantageous pressing or smoothening out of .the pleats or corrugations at'the'point or area of bending 57 on the rim 52 which are normally. formed as an incident to the drawing of a foil blank into a container .on the die apparatus.

These corrugations would interfere with the later bending of the wall or lip 56, back against the wall. 55 of the rim 52 on the container unless, as *inthe instant case, some meansis'provided for smoothening or flattening out these corrugations rat the area or point of bending '57. During this flattening action at the point .57, theremainder of lip 56 willb'e disposed within the pocket 60 formed by the surfaces37, 38, and39 of the hemming punch 35 and the :stepped surface 22 of thedraw ring-likemember 14.

'12 on anvil member 5 in amanner Hemming punch 35 and draw punch 27 are so actuated by means (not shown) that after the bottoming of the upper die assembly 1 the hemming punch will retract or move upwardly slightly ahead of the draw punch 27. As a result, the restraining force exerted by punch 35 against the draw ring-like member 14, tending to hold it down, is released. Thereupon, the draw ring-like member 14 will move upwardly under the influence of the pneumatic plungers and ahead of anvil member 5. As the draw ring-like member 14 moves upwardly, the tapered surface 20 thereon will act as a wiping surface and serve to bend the lip 56 backwardly about the point 57, thereby drawing the lip 56 of the rim 52 back against the vertical wall of the rim 52 in contact with and backed by the wall 12 on stripper member 5. The graduated wiping action produced by tapered surface 20 of the draw ring-like member 14 will continue until the stop 18 of the 'draw ring-likemember 14 engages the shoulder or stop 19 on the stripper member 5, The lower die assembly 1 is also so designed that at thetime member 14 reaches its maximum upwardly slidable position with respect to anvil member 5, member 5 will begin to move upwardly under the influence of the lift means 7 as well as rnember14 so as to effect a stripping of the container 26 from die element 2. In the event lift means 7 are omitted, then the, anvil member 5 can be raised simply by means of member 14. Simultaneously with the upward movement of anvil member 5, the draw punch 27 and upper die member 28 will be moved upwardly until they both clear the top of die element 2. As noted above, the upward movement of both members 5 and 14 is limited or controlled by the shoulder 9 on the stationary die element 2 when this shoulder engages shoulder element 8 located at the lower portion of the anvil member 5. In any event, members 5 and 14 will be moved upwardly a suflicient distance to allow the receptacle or container 26 to completely clear the stationary die 2. The topmost limit of movement of the draw ring-like member 14 will also be such that it slightly exceeds, as indicated in dotted lines in'FIGURE 2, that of the member 5 due to the action of stops 18 and 19. As a result, the receptacle 26, once it has cleared most of the lower die assembly due to the stripping action produced by the tapered holding surface 20 thereon, may then be conveniently removed from the apparatus such as by conventional air means (not shown). V

In connection with the die assemblies" shown in FIG- URES 5-7, it will be observed that the bottoming of the upper die assembly l takes place in a'manner similar to that discussed above with respect to the disclosures of FIGURES 1-4. Thereafter, as the hemming punch 35 begins to move upwardly along with draw ring-like member 14, lip 56 of the containerfrim 52 will 'be'wiped or forced back against the vertically disposed wall 55 of the rim by the action of surfaces 23 and 21"of member 14. At this time wall 5 5' is'backed by vertical surface or wall similar to that disclosed in FIGURES and 4. V

Although the angle of thesurface 20 with respect to a vertical plane is somewhat less acute than that of surface 20 in the case of the die elements shown-in FIGURES 3 and 4, the inclination of 'the angle should be such-that .it will permit the ready sliding or withdrawal of the lip 56 from pocket 60' formed'by surfaces 40, 22' and 20' and its movement into the recess formed by surfaces 21' and 23 on draw ring-like-member 1,4 and the surface12' on the hemming punch35 on the-upward stroke of member 14. Duringthis folding or wiping action, the area of bend 57 of lip 56 becomes loosely seated against the shoulder or surface 23 of the draw ring-like member 14.

This wiping action takes place, ofcourse, due to the resilient biasing of the draw ring-like member 14 and the initial upward movement of draw ring-like member 14 ahead of member 5, 'in the manner previously disclosed.

As indicated in FIGURE 7, the member 14- will also have a greater maximum upward movement than that of the member 5 so as to facilitate the removal of the formed receptacle 26 from the forming die member 2 in the manner previously indicated. In the case of the apparatus shown in FIGURES 5-7, of course, since it is used in making a round container, the necessity of smoothening the corrugations at the point of bend 57 of the lip 56 prior to bending of the lip is not as critical as in the case of rectangular or square containers where considerable gatherings occur at the rim corners of such containers. By reference to FIGURE 8, it will be observed that the container formed by the die apparatus of the instant invention is provided with an angulated rim 52. The upstanding wall 55 contains a hemmed edge comprised of the downturned lip 56. During use of the container, the wall 55 and lip 56 are bent inwardly over a cover 70, the outer edge of which rests on the wall 54 of the rim 5'2.

An advantageous embodiment of the invention has been herein disclosed and described. It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof as defined by the appended claims wherein What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for making thin foil receptacles comprising the combination of a first die means and a second die means, said first die means comprising in concentrically disposed relationship to each other a stationary die element, a draw ring-like member and an anvil member interposed between said stationary die element and said draw ring-like member, said draw ring-like member being slidably mounted with respect to said anvil member and said anvil member being slidably mounted with respect to said stationary die element, said draw ring-like member also being provided with adjacent inclined and stepped surfaces, said second die means comprising a draw punch having an outer wall aligned with said anvil member, a die member movably mounted on said draw punch and aligned with said stationary die element and a hemming punch slidably disposed with respect to said draw punch and generally aligned with said draw ring-like member, said hemming punch having surfaces which cooperate with at least one of the said surfaces of the draw ring-like member and certain surfaces on the anvil member which are disposed adjacent the said surfaces of the hemming punch and draw ring-like member during bottoming of said second die means to produce an angulated rim having a flat lip on the foil receptacle formed by said apparatus and another surface of the draw ring-like member cooperating with one of the said surfaces on the anvil member upon the upward stroke of said second die means for wipingly engaging said flat lip on the rim of the foil receptacle and drawing it back in a flattened condition towards a wall of the rim, and means for resiliently biasing said draw ring-like member whereby said draw ring-like member can disengage the formed foil receptacle from the anvil member upon the upward stroke of said second die means.

2. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said anvil member and said hemming punch are both provided with stepped surfaces which cooperate with one another to produce a weakened area in the angulated rim of the receptacle at the point of the bend of the lip drawn back by said draw ring-like member and Prior to the drawing back of the lip.

3. An apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein certain of the stepped surfaces on the hemming punch cooperate with the inclined and stepped surfaces of said draw ring-like member during the bottoming of said second die means to form a pocket therebetween for loosely receiving the flat lip on the rim of the receptacle.

4. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein an inclined surface on said draw ring-like member cooperates with a planar surface on the hemming punch to allow withdrawal of the flat lip from between the hemming punch and the draw ring-like member and the wiping engagement of said lip with a stepped surface of the draw ring-like member whereby said lip will be drawn back against a Wall of the rim of the receptacle during a predetermined sliding movement of said draw ring-like member with respect to said anvil member.

5. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein an inclined surface on the draw ring-like member cooperates with an adjacent planar surface on the anvil member for wipingly engaging the said lip and drawing it back against a wall of the rim of the receptacle.

Allen June 5, 1945 Wheeler Aug. 18, 1959 

